Category Archives: ESHE Lounge

Dom Kennedy has blessed summer 2018 with the release of “Addicted To The Underground.” Nine tracks of summer madness from Liemert Park’s King, “Addicted To The Underground” provides the perfect sound track for summer days in the City of Angels and perfect nights while cruising the 405 headed to the beach for a night of sand and waves. Check out “Addicted To The Underground” here.

On March 8, 2018 a celebration of African Musicians was hosted by Grammy and Oscar-winning artists/actor Common in the Hollywood Hills. The “African Get Down” held at the Elyx House, was not only a celebration of great musical artists and DJs from Africa, but it was also a celebration of African culture and tradition. The event was produced by CSA principals Marc Le Chat, Brannan Phillips and Davin Phillips. Among the guests were Janeshia Adamsp-Ginyard, music producer Karl Rubin, film producer Shopan Entesari, Emmy Award winning stylist, Theresa Broadnax, jewelry designer, Monalisa Okojie, number one hip hop musical artist, South African DJ,King Kanja, DJ Heavy K, The Clemmons Twins, and Jo-Lo music producer Harmony Samuels.

The guests attending the event wore beautiful garments of traditional African culture, accentuating the beauty that has always derived from the Mother Land.
Women were clothed in Djellabas, habesha kemis, kangas, and gomesis. Adorned atop the heads of these beautiful women were various head scarfs. The men wore dashikis and kofias, symbolizing and continuing the greatness of African kings.
Host Common spoke to the united group about the importance of unity and standing for what one believes in. Speaking about his travels to the continent of Africa, Common shared his deep experiences with the people of Africa and how they also aimed to rectify the ills not only going on in their respective countries but in the United States as well. The event provided the opportunity for the attendees to experience African culture in a truly intimate setting while sharing life experiences within an atmosphere of love and brotherhood.

“God is ALL. Energy is ALL.” – Amani Abdul
Life’s experiences provide us all the opportunity to grow from and with them or to fold and be nonexistent. The purpose(s) for which a person lives and thinks he or she exists for may either be predetermined, self-identified or a mystery. Amani Abdul’s new book “Chasing Peace: Freeing Your Spirit And Releasing Your Soul” (2017) allows the reader a front row seat as to how her life evolution enabled her to not only find peace within herself but to also be a golden beam of inspiration for all people she has encountered and interacted with during her journey. Written in five parts, Abdul details how specific instances in her life guided and cultivated her into the woman which she is today. A Detroit, Michigan native, Abdul’s journey has taken her from the Motor City to various cities on the eastern coast of the United States of America, currently residing in Charlotte, North Carolina. One of the points of emphasis touched on throughout the book is how your internal structure as a human being has a tremendous effect on the outside structure and outward mechanisms of an individual. A tremendous faith in GOD, a continuous identification of positive and negative energies and a self-developed mindset to seek righteousness in all things are what drove Abdul’s pen in creating this book. Abdul details how the lives of other people which she encountered living in Detroit and Washington D.C. provided a blueprint for how and how not to go about certain things in life.
One of the most resonating parts of the book is “Part II: Recognizing The People In Your Life, Their Roles And Purpose Or Part In your Story.” The more we live, the more people we will encounter in life that will serve some type of purpose. The purpose is usually identified after a period of time or after that person is no longer a part of our lives. Abdul thoroughly details her personal encounters with different people and how each person played a unique role in her life journey. Writing a book based off of personal experiences (both good and bad) is not easy to convey to a reader in an effective, inspirational format, yet Abdul thrives off of engaging the reader’s mind with her factual experiences and gained wisdom. A great read, “Chasing Peace” flows like a greatly directed movie with multiple life gems on each page.

New York, NY (October 6, 2017) – “Chuck D Presents This Day In Rap And Hip-Hop History,” one of the most comprehensive, chronological histories of rap and hip-hop ever written, will be available on October 10 at all major retailers, including Amazon. Assembled by Chuck D, co-founder of Public Enemy and a respected, influential voice in the genre, the book includes pivotal moments from 1973 to the present alongside artistic portraits of people who have shaped the sound and the culture of hip-hop for over 40 years. This definitive history book takes readers from the Bronx to the billion dollar global phenomenon it is today.

The massive anthology opens with a house party on August 11, 1973 when DJ Kool Herc unleashed “the break” on his turntables. By 1979, rap had become embraced by mainstream audiences as “Rapper’s Delight” sold over two million copies and went on to be the first hip-hop record on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart the following year. “This Day In Rap And Hip-Hop History” follows the art form through more than four decades, examining artists and moments that drove the messages and the music with exacting details that can only come from a musicologist who has witnessed it firsthand.

“If you want to understand our culture. To learn knowledge itself. Truth about the art form of poetry in motion. The struggle of our community through rhyme and rhythm. This is the book that inspired me long before I found my place in hip-hop,” says Kendrick Lamar. “The power of self-expression. Unapologetically. Taught by the teacher himself. Chuck D!!!.” “Reading this book is like reliving my life all over again,” adds LL Cool J.

The entries in “This Day In Rap And Hip-Hop History” are brought to life by over 100 portraits of the most influential figures in hip-hop, created by Shepard Fairey (who also contributed the book’s foreword), ASKEM, Amy Cinnamon, Andre LeRoy Davis, Holtom, Glen E. Friedman, A.J. Katz, Timothy McAuliffe (Gold Van), Scared of Monsters, Rinat Shingareev and Marco Ventura.

Chuck Dis considered one of the most influential lyricists in contemporary music. Both as a solo artist and as the leader of the groundbreaking group Public Enemy (which was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2013), he helped pave the way for political, social, and culturally conscious hip-hop. Public Enemy’s albums remain among the most critically acclaimed works in the genre, including “It Takes a Nation of Millions to Hold Us Back” and “Fear of a Black Planet.” Chuck is also a prominent figure on the speaking circuit lending his voice to issues and causes ranging from technology to race relations. He is a founding member of the new supergroup Prophets of Rage, alongside members of Rage Against the Machine and Cypress Hill. Prophets of Rage have played to almost 3 million people around the world in the last year, with their first full-length album released in September 2017.

Let the summer breeze and good music sway you to love in Summer 2017. Enjoy this remake of the Andre 3000 hit “Prototype” by singer, song writer and producer Jesse Boykins III. The melodic keys from the added piano coupled with his passionate vocals allows the listener to drift to a place of love, whether it be in memory or in hope.